Read, Then Verify
Why this drill
Most golfers hit their line and blame their stroke when the ball misses — the read was wrong and nobody checked. Calling every read aloud in cups outside the hole, then grading the read itself, trains the skill putting practice always skips: seeing break correctly.
Setup
Five breaking putts of eight to fifteen feet chosen around a sloped green, three balls each. A routine you'll commit to: read from behind the ball and below the hole.
The drill
Before each putt, declare the read: "one cup out left edge," "two cups right." Roll all three balls on your called line at dying speed and watch what the green does — with three tries, stroke noise averages out and the read stands trial alone. Grade the read (not the makes): correct, under-read, or over-read. Most players discover a lifelong systematic under-read; the fix — doubling every first instinct — is worth strokes immediately.
One thought to take with you
Trust dying speed and read twice the break you see — the ball breaks most when it's barely rolling.